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Terrapin - a box boat in a box

I drove down to Annapolis today and picked up a heavy 4'x8' pallet at Chesapeake Light Craft. The parts, almost all precut to size, for a balance lug version of Autumn Leaves. Here's how far I've gotten on day one:

This is a lot of wood. Ply on the bottom, crated-up bundles of spar, stringer and other stock on top. In the car, many gallons of epoxy.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

Here's the profile of the finished boat, drawn up by John Harris as a variation of the canoe-yawl rigged original version of Autumn Leaves. My kit is the first to this variation. The first with the original rig is being shipped to Colorado. Another boat is being built directly from the plans and is almost completed.

It's not everyone's cup of tea, I know. Despite the traditional look shown here, it's a Bolger-inspired sharpie hull with plumb sides, square sections. But it's also a boat that answers my current desires: a boat that's small enough to row but big enough to offer a dry and comfortable cabin. Also, a boat that's at home in the shallowest of water. Given this, and the double-ended boxy shape of the thing, mine will be called Terrapin.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

I was hoping someone around here would build one.

There is no rational, logical, or physical description of how free will could exist. It therefore makes no sense to praise or condemn anyone on the grounds they are a free willed self that made one choice but could have chosen something else. There is no evidence that such a situation is possible in our Universe. Demonstrate otherwise and I will be thrilled.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

Sorry my last line there came out so crazy. I don’t know how that happened this is a total thumbs up from me!

There is an 'Edit Post' option at the bottom of each of your posts if you ever want to correct any errors in a previous post

There is no rational, logical, or physical description of how free will could exist. It therefore makes no sense to praise or condemn anyone on the grounds they are a free willed self that made one choice but could have chosen something else. There is no evidence that such a situation is possible in our Universe. Demonstrate otherwise and I will be thrilled.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

No problem, Woodeye. I use the edit feature all the time. I'm itching to get started on the boat, but we've got a family week at the beach coming up, and it turns out I picked up the materials before the final instructions and plans for my version are complete. But in a week and a day or two, I should be able to start assembling. In the meantime, here's my plan for the color scheme. (Colors here shown on the standard version, mine will have an extended cabin trunk and two portlights each side.)

As the the "thumbs down" icon that shows up sometimes - I'm pretty sure that's a bug in the editor. It seems to happens when a word ends in "er" or maybe other cases - I haven't been able to pin it down. I've run into it as well. No solution I've found except to change the word. Maybe something Scot can fix.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

Congratulations the anticipation must be keen! You couldn't have picked a more engaged and interested designer than you have in John Harris, and it is a great leg up having all that cutting done. As for the design, I think it's a super intriguing piece of work. Please keep sharing!

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

Back from a family vacation and getting things moving.

When I was a kid cereal boxes had perforated punch-out parts on the back to make things. Locomotives, airplanes, animals. It's where I learned to "Put Tab A into slot B." This project reminds me of that.

On the sawhorses, bulkhead 2. The bulkhead was CNC cut, of course. My only job is to glue down some pre-cut stock and trim it to fit.l The edges will need bevels too, of course. Against the wall in back, bulkheads 3 and 4 wait their turn on the sawhorses. On the floor, the inside face of one of the two centerboard cases is glassed and curing.

Is this cheating at boat building -- only doing half the job? I dunno and don't care much. I'm having fun and look forward to a launch date that will likely arrive before the onset of senility. One thing surprised me -- CLC provides an HIN with this kit. I can register it as a purchased boat, as opposed to a home-built boat. So perhaps I'm not building it at all, just sticking together a few parts picked up from the real builder, Chesapeake Light Craft.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

Originally Posted by cstevens

^^^ That took me a minute as well. I thought at first that Wox was using the scrap instead of the work piece

I could do something like that. Those two pieces against the wall to the right of the corner are scrap cutouts. Hmmm. Frames for a tender? At any rate, this boat probably has more curves inside than out.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

Originally Posted by Woxbox

I could do something like that. Those two pieces against the wall to the right of the corner are scrap cutouts. Hmmm. Frames for a tender? At any rate, this boat probably has more curves inside than out.

Now THAT would be some clever CNC engineering. Lay out the parts for a tender in the scraps from the big boat.... I like it!

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

Full-size model building it seems. I am watching with great enthusiasm. I'm not hung up on the traditional ways of boat building. I do greatly respect those that have the talent and patience to lovingly handmake almost every single piece on a boat be it an 8-foot dink or 80-foot ocean voyager.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

Very, very cool. I think the boat looks like a total joy to own and sail. I could envision owning something similar someday. I like the internal lead ballast as opposed to water ballast. There is not much to dislike about the boat. Good choice.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

Quick update. The bulkheads are trimmed out with stringers etc., and the bilge board trunks are ready to be assembled. Testing the fit of things here. I've gotta note that the quality of the materials supplied is superb. Haven't found a questionable piece of ply or lumber yet. There's still some more prepping of the pieces to go, but once they're ready the boat will take shape very quickly.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

This certainly looks like fun. Harris is such a clever designer. A kit like this will bring the satisfaction of building something without the ordeal of doing it all. I predict that the final product will be a wonderful pocket cruiser.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

I'll chime in with a thumbs-up, also, Dave! I found building from a well-engineered kit extremely pleasurable and rewarding, with enough head-scratching and "real" boat-building problem solving to make me feel pretty accomplished by the time I'd finished mine out. (I've now completed a 12' traditional copper-riveted lapstrake build, so have some comparative experience. Different horses, yes, but they're both beautiful wooden boats.) And, Autumn Leaves is a very cool design! Looking forward to seeing yours come together.

Re: Terrapin - a box boat in a box

Harris is such a clever designer.

He certainly is, Mike.

Today I dry assembled and then glued up the core of the boat. This boat gets built inside-out. The starting point of assembly is to put together this box. It's about 4 1/2 foot square. No strongback, no jig needed. Once this is together, the sides get wrapped around it and the remaining bulkheads are fit. You can see here how the tabs on the bilgeboard cases fit the slots in the bulkhead. Hard to go wrong.